Bar Bricco

We're pretty spoiled living downtown - So many options. The newest of which is Bar Bricco, Daniel Costa's newest addition in a still growing little stretch between 103rd and 104th on Jasper Avenue. I stopped by with a friend a couple weeks ago to check it out, and we munched away on a large plate of cheese and fennel salad, alongside a Negroni and grappa.

Since then I've been back twice - once for a belated birthday dinner, and another for drinks and snacks. Both times I've ordered the egg yolk ravioli... Make sure you order the egg yolk ravioli. And order a little bread (if you didn't save any from your meat or cheese dishes) to help soak up whatever remaining ricotta/brown butter/egg yolk is left on that plate.

The salumi tasting plate with homemade porchetta, and delicious Iberico ham, prosciutto and mortadella is wonderful if you're feeling carnivorous, and don't skip on the fennel salad or the house ricotta.

In addition to that Negroni, they have a lengthy lists of grappa, and of course, wine. Though I'm not a wine drinker, I enjoyed a glass of sparkling red (Lambrusco) the other night that I wouldn't hesitate to order again.

This is a bar, and they don't take reservations, so if at all possible, get there at six when they open to score seats at the bar or one of three tables. A groups of us (4) arrived around 7pm on a Wednesday and waited for about a half-hour before being able to grab seats... and there were people behind us.

Bar Bricco
10347 Jasper Avenue
Wed-Sun {6pm - 1am}

Friday evening at Somerville Wine and Cheese

On Friday evening Charles and I made plans to meet up with our friend Brenna at Somerville Wine and Cheese on 107th and 124th Street. Calling earlier in the day we secured a reservation for 6:30pm and arrived (a little late) to a bright, open space and a friendly greeting at the door.

Seated at one of the tables for four lining the north side of the room, we decided on four dishes that would be shared tapas style and asked that they recommend a bottle of red to compliment our selections. They came through with a spicy bottle of Dehesa Gago Cosecha from Spain (~$42) that went really well with all our dishes, especially the Spanish inspired 'grilled cheese' and the red wine and tomato braised bison short ribs.

Our server explained that each option on the menu could be ordered as an entree or as an item to be shared. We selected the latter option and everything came out together after a few sips of wine and a short wait.

Lox in the front and the Spanish Manchego 'grilled cheese' ($14) served open-faced in the back. With Charles out of the grilled cheese situation, it was left for Brenna and I. We both enjoyed this take on the sandwich, especially the bites containing spicy, smoky chorizo.

 

 The Lox (~$17). This was a welcome classic, and in comparison to our other dishes, was certainly the lightest thing to grace the table.

Red wine and tomato braised bison short ribs (~$22). Along with the pork belly, this dish was the hit of the table. The meat was tender, slightly spicy and smoky.

 Cider braised pork belly with caramelized onions and apples and fennel cream (~$15). This dish was rich but incredibly flavourful. The pork was soft and tender, the fennel cream was rich yet bright and fresh, which worked well with the pork, and the apples and onions provided a satisfying level of sweetness.

After indulging in the savory side of the menu we opted to share the restaurant's single dessert offering between the three of us - a goat cheese and blackberry blancmange prepared by Duchess ($9). The blancmange was creamy and tangy and the blackberry compote provided a rich, sweet contrast. My favourite part of this dessert was the spicy (ie. cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.) poached pear.

Service throughout the evening was attentive and friendly, with water glasses topped up regularly and dishes promptly cleared. Lingering for awhile, the space was certainly comfortable. And despite the large birthday party happening on the banquette side of the room, we had no problem carrying on our conversation. At one point a party guest stood up and sang a great rendition of 'What a Wonderful World' to the birthday girl, and it turned out to be a real treat for us too (we weren't too fond of the restaurant's music selection throughout the evening, which seemed a little heavy on the classical side of things, and thus a little too formal for the space and atmosphere).
 

At the end of the evening the three of us agreed that our visit to Somerville Wine and Cheese was certainly successful. With a comfortable space, friendly staff, knowledgeable wine pairings and well executed dishes, we are definitely looking forward to our next visit.

Somerville Wine and Cheese
10723 124 Street
780.454.9463
Hours: T-W (4:30-11PM) Th-Sa (4:30PM - 1AM) Su-M (Closed)

A blurry picture from the end of the evening.

Tzin and Brian Jungen

This past Friday evening we were excited to check out the new Brian Jungen exhibit at the AGA, and with both of us already downtown at work, we planned the night before to check out another spot that had been on the list for some time - Tzin.

With the AGA event beginning at 7:30, we made a reservation via Open Table the evening before for 5:30, which would give us time to enjoy a few food items and couple glasses of wine. Unfortunately we arrived a little late for our reservation, but we were greeted immediately at the door, our jackets were hung and we were led to a table towards the back of the small space, right next to the bar.

A pillow lined banquet, deep red walls, a small, open kitchen and only a couple windows create a pretty cozy space (especially during cold evenings) and I think we probably could have stayed all evening with a bottle of wine. The two servers that evening were incredibly friendly and helpful, pairing wine with our food and suggesting glasses they thought we'd enjoy. Eventually we both ended up with a glass of Gine Gine, a red from Spain... that's about all I can remember. Food wise, we went with the mushroom crostinis ($13), golden halibut cheeks ($19.5) and chicken sausage and chorizo strudel (~$18).

The one and only food picture of the evening - mushroom crostinis. The cozy space meant sparse lighting, so we put the camera away.

Our food came out fairly quickly just as we got into our wine and we were left to enjoy. The mushroom crostinis were fantastic - rich crimini mushrooms, crispy baguette and flavourful garlic and red pepper aioli were a perfect start to the evening. We also enjoyed the sausage and chorizo strudel, which combined a moist, spicy filling with a satisfyingly crispy exterior. The halibut cheeks, our 'splurge' item, didn't quite live up to expectations. Breaded and slightly overcooked, the pieces came out a little dry, and we had to rely a little too heavily on the ginger-sesame-soy sauce on the side to provide necessary moisture and flavour.

I have no doubt we'll be back to Tzin. While we weren't necessarily 'wowed' by the food, we certainly enjoyed the majority of our dishes. The space and friendly service easily make this spot one of the most welcoming we've ever ventured to and that's definitely enough to warrant many return visits.

TZiN Wine & Tapas
10115 104 Street
780.428.8946
Hours: T-Th (4-11pm), F-Sa (4pm - midnight), Su-M (Closed)

*There were quite a few parties turned away throughout our stay, so if your heading to this spot, I'd suggest making a reservation.

Brian Jungen was thoroughly enjoyed. Definitely check it out if you get a chance. We also bumped into Isabelle and her husband which was great. Since this post was without food pictures, here's a few from the exhibition instead... I know, not quite as appetizing.

Moriarty's Bistro and Wine Bar

The day after our d'Lish visit, a friend called to offer us a couple tickets to the Christmas Pops concert - of course we couldn't refuse. With me working that day, we thought it would be best to grab a bite downtown before heading to the Winspear, and we found Moriarty's at the top of our list.

Arriving around 6pm with no reservation (on a Saturday evening no less), we were seated at a table for four in the middle of the room, making me wish I had thought to make a reservation so we could have sat in one of the more comfortable looking booths. Deciding to skip appetizers after glancing down the menu to see the 'Modern Opera' dessert made by Duchess, we went straight for mains. Charles opted for the Root Beer braised short ribs ($23), while I went for the Black and Red Chicken ($21; I think the black was the wild mushrooms it was served with, while the 'red' referred to the red wine reduction). We also asked the server to pair a glass of wine with each of our selections, which she was glad to do.

As the space filled up quickly around us, we had time to enjoy a few sips of wine before we found our mains in front of us. Charles really enjoyed his short ribs, which were fall off the bone soft and full of flavour, and I was happy enough to eat the rejected golden beets left on the plate. I enjoyed my chicken, with the rich red wine reduction and earthy mushrooms playing well together. Though enjoyable, the amount of mashed potato on my plate, and even the size of the chicken breast itself, was daunting, and in the end I had to leave quite a bit of food on my plate.

Making good time we were looking forward to the 'Modern Opera' ($12) mentioned above and were sad when our server told us they were out. Taking another look at the menu, we decided to share the profiteroles ($11) instead. We were pretty shocked when a plate of three profiteroles arrived - they were gigantic, and one between the two of us would have been more than enough. Unfortunately the dessert was disappointing, with choux pastry that was dry, tough and hard, and thick, sweet fudge sauce that didn't seem to help much. In the end we popped off the tops of two, ate the gelato and left the rest.

Although we'd likely skip dessert next time, our mains at Moriarty's were certainly enjoyed. The rather large entree portions were a little frustrating, so although I can certainly see us heading back to Moriarty's, it will likely be to share some flatbread or a few small plates, hopefully in one of those booths.

Moriarty's Bistro and Wine Bar
10154 100 Street
780.757.2005

d'Lish Urban Kitchen and Wine Bar

Celebrating the season - the 'done school for three weeks' season of course - Charles and I met up with friends a couple Fridays ago for dinner at d'Lish.

After an unfortunate ETS experience (where the driver changed the bus to 'Not in Service' without letting anyone on the bus know, dropping us off north of Grant MacEwan with no other bus in sight), we arrived at d'Lish half an hour late for our 7pm reservation. Luckily our two dining companions had arrived promptly for the reservation time, and were able to enjoy a drink while waiting for our arrival.

The Friday before Christmas, I'm guessing diners were off at holiday celebrations elsewhere, for as we arrived we saw only our table plus one other table of four beside, and a table of two behind us. The space itself is beautiful - sparkling, sleek and perfect for the season. We settled into our table in front of the bar gazing a little longingly at the banquette along the north side of the room, which had several tables along it but all set for two.

Our server came to inquire about drinks, and we all quickly decided to share a bottle of Prosecco ($40) to celebrate. Arriving back with four glasses and the beautiful sound of the popping cork, we had already decided to try the 'Faith tasting' - $35 for seven 'selections'. There was one snag - one of our dining companions was vegetarian. I had called earlier in the week to make sure vegetarian options would be available and was told she would have lots to choose from. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but with our server informing us that the tasting plates wouldn't be an option, she ended up going with the tagliatelle with pesto (~$17) while we stuck with our original decision, also adding the wine pairing ($15 for three, 2oz glasses).

Everything came out fairly quickly, with the seven 'selections' turning into three small courses. First up was a shooter of parsnip soup. Creamy and warm, the soup was an excellent way to take the chill off. The soup was served alongside a root vegetable, apple and kale salad (which we were asked to share amongst ourselves), served with rillette crostini and fig jelly. All three of us enjoyed the rillette, but the hit was by far the salad, tossed with sticky, sweet maple dressing.

Next up was smoked applewood tenderloin, served on top of polenta along with a scallop. We picked up one of the applewood tenderloins from O Sol' Meatos during the summer and really enjoyed it, so this part of the tasting plate was already a hit, especially atop the piece of silky polenta. The scallop was nicely cooked - soft and tender - but the smokiness of the meat quickly over took any of its sweetness. The tagliatelle also came out at this point, and our dining companion said she thoroughly enjoyed the carby goodness.

Our final course was dessert - banana-chocolate bread pudding served with maple-apple compote. I think we all enjoyed this one, and the banana bread was particularly nice with the compote.

As our plates were cleared, we quickly realized the tasting had not been enough, and a couple more options were certainly in order. In the end it would be pulled pork sliders with mango chutney and 'Mona' mushrooms served with focaccia to end the evening. The pulled pork sliders were alright, but not quite as rich and moist as we had hoped. The mushrooms were great - flavourful, rich, buttery and comforting. Our only complaint was the amount of bread the mushrooms came with - with three of us indulging, a couple more slices of bread than the one we were given would have been preferred, and we were left to awkwardly split the single slice.

In the end, we had an enjoyable evening at d'Lish. Service was friendly, although sitting in front of the bar with only a few people in the place, it was difficult not to notice the three servers constantly chatting when more water, or menus after the tasting portion of the evening, were needed. I don't think the wine pairings were big winners with any of us, especially the red served with the tenderloin that clashed immediately with the smoky meat. But overall the food was enjoyed, the season celebrated, and we left happy and content, and I think Charles and I will certainly head back as warm weather approaches and the menu changes.

d'Lish Urban Kitchen and Wine Bar
10418 124 Street
780.482.2242